Customer Reviews

Rumsfeld's War: The Untold Story of America's Anti-Terrorist Commander

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Rowan Scarborough's inside look at Donald Rumsfeld is seminal reading for those of us who've long admired Rummy -- from his work in several presidential administrations as well as his masterful press conferences carried live on CNN. Scarborough, one of Washington's best and most unsung national security reporters, paints more than a historical portrait of Rumsfeld's imprint on national defense. His behind the scenes accounting of war strategy co-mingled with Rumsfeld's sturdy approch to leadership is a must-read not only for those interested in military gamesmanship but also those interested in managerial moxie. The book might look like brainy, inside baseball at first, but once the reader gets a few pages in, it reads quick and sharp, not unlike Scarborough's dispatches at The Washington Times. This is bigtime reporting and writing with a simple flair. Rumsfeld emerges as a model leader and decent guy -- a CEO of sorts for the nation at war.

Don't get me wrong, I really liked this Rumsfeld's War. The author obviously had the full cooperation of Don Rumsfeld in the writing of this book (including obtaining a classified threat analysis report, which is reproduced in the Appendix -- fascinating!). There are great anecdotes about Rummy that really give good insight into his personality, e.g. the fact that he still plays squash with the old "hard" balls, and on the court regularly bests men half his age. That said, if you could only purchase one book on Rumsfeld, I would recommend Jim Mann's "Rise of the Vulcans", which is more comprehensive, reflective, and objective. I would say that "Rumsfeld's War" is for fans of Rummy, but "Vulcans" is for serious students of the War on Terror.

The author is a Pentagon correspondent for the Washington Times and therefore can be assumed to have good backround and contacts. I was quite interested in Rumsfeld because of his prominence and eloquence. The book gives a good account of decision making in regard to the Afghan and Iraq wars, and gives the motivation behind the ongoing transformation of the US armed forces which is Rumsfelds particular concern. I was quite interested in Rumsfelds backround - in particular his time in private business. He was CEO of JD Searle, the firm that made a fortune from Nutrasweet - somehow its difficult to associate Rumsfeld with sweetners!. Overall he is displayed as decisive, change-orientated, pugnacious, eloquent but fair. In between the lines you get the impression that he is a formidable political infighter.
I have, however, a basic credibility problem with the book - how can the author continue to work as a Pentagon journalist if he paints a negative picture of Rumsfeld?. I come away wondering if the books analysis is accurate, I'm sure the facts are, but what about the inferences. Tommy Franks, in retirement, regrets Rumsfelds micromanaging style - something not apparent in this book. Is Rumsfeld's transformation of the military - and his adherence to Special Operations, flexibility and agility - likely to bring about victory in the ongoing struggles for dominance in Iraq or Afghanistan? It may bring about an ability to concentrate firepower in any corner of the globe, but what happens thereafter? This is not discussed and I think is a central part of the debate. I also think that Rumsfelds is the most talented political operator and communicator in this Administration, but is this a good thing? Does he concentrate power in the Pentagon to the detriment of the diplomacy that is needed in order to win Allies for the War on Terror? Again you won't find a whisper about this topic in the book.
So overall a good grounding, some solid backround facts, however I am left wanting more critical analysis of this transformative and forceful Defense Secretary.

Although the interworkings of the Pentagon are an intriguing subject these days, I found this book to be somewhat dissapointing. The analysis is somewhat skimpy with only broad associations drawing together all of the evidence. Provides a glimpse into Rumsfeld's leadership style, and how people inside the Pentagon have reacted to it, but not very thorough. Sometimes I got the impression that the book's purpose was simply to show off how much sexy classified stuff the author could find, and not all of it backed up the books thesis, which I THINK is that Rummy is the right leader at the right time. Recommend Plan of Attack instead because it is more thorough and broad.

While dated, this gives a short glimpse into the leadership style of Donald Rumsfeld. I am sure it was rushed to get to print and that there are better, more in depth books to discuss his decision making process. A basic book, not deep, but the author did conduct a very wide interview circle and showed equally the sides that admired and the side the disliked him."

I Recommend this book to anyone that wants to understand the whole ordeal of Donald Rumsfeld and American policy's,and in its decision to invade Iraq.

From the muddled musings of Rowan Scarborough one would close this book "safe in the knowledge" that Mr Rumsfeld is a noble and intelligent man and not the oil sipping lunatic that he really is.

A very sobering and illuminating account of the character and deeds of Donald Rumsfeld, the secretary of Defense under George Bush. This book details the very active role of the secretary in directing the war on terror, from his 'punchy' press conferences where he came into his own all the way to the White House briefings where he encouraged the administration to change its tactics. A very interesting account of one of the most dynamic members of the Bush administration and the most memorable secretary of Defense since Edwin Stanton.

i don't mind saying i am a big fan of rummy. this is a fascinating inside account of what transpired over the last 3 years at the highest levels of government. thank goodness someone like rummy took a radical approach to the war on terror and the dod bureaucracy. what shocked me is the continued pettiness among our nation's military leaders with their vendettas and political sniping. eric shinseki is a puss. plain and simple. bureaucrats who turn out volumes of useless reports have clearly never spent time in the private sector. rummy actually reads this stuff and throws it back when the quality is weak. score one for sanity!

Ótimo livro. Merece ser lido. É um livro abrangente, pois aborda fatos históricos acontecidos com o protagonista, deixando de somente preocupar-se com os fatos atuais. Mostra claramente o emaranhado do poder existente no Capitol e também na Casa Branca. Desconsidera qualquer tipo de importância latente, atual ou mesmo futura, da América Latina. Resume a abordar tendências estratégicas dos EUA e potenciais interesses nas áreas críticas do mundo atual. Recomendo a leitura.